Matt Roloff
46-years-old (b. October 7,1961)
Matt Roloff is a salesman, entrepreneur, advocate for the rights of little people and father of four. Matt has been happily married to his wife, Amy, for 21 years. A dreamer at heart, Matt is a consummate businessman who thrives on making his next deal.
For years, Matt was a huge success in the computer industry, selling systems software to Fortune 500 companies. In 1999, Matt wrote and published Against Tall Odds, which chronicles his business and professional success in the face of enormous medical and social adversity. The family has recently also put out a great book called Little Family, Big Values.
Matt works hard to create a dream home for his family, a 34-acre farm outside Portland, Oregon, called Roloff Farms.
As a child, Matt’s dwarfism (diastrophic dysplasia) often left him in the hospital, recuperating from painful surgeries on his legs. Missing out on the experiences of average children, Matt lay in his hospital bed, daydreaming of cowboys and Tom Sawyer. Now those dreams have become reality on Roloff Farms, which boasts a complete Western town, a pirate ship on a lake, a three-story tree house and a full-size medieval castle, a zip-line, to name a few.
Matt has established his own business, Direct Access Solutions, which focuses on mobility and accessibility products for little people. The key product is the Short Stature Accessibility Kit, a product marketed to hotel chains that provides the tools little people need for a safe hotel room stay. As the first season ended, Matt started another job as a software salesman with Amdocs in order to provide the family with additional income. But now Matts business, Direct Access Solutions, has really taken off. And the farm has boomed from its success during pumpkin season as people come from all across the nation to tour the farm, pick out pumpkins, purchase neat memorabilia, and sometimes even get to meet the family members. Roloff Farms is agri-tainment at its best!
The former president of Little People of America (LPA) – a social and advocacy group for little people – Matt remains active in the organization.
Matt’s dwarfism is the result of the third most common cause of short stature, diastrophic dysplasia (one per 110,000 births), a condition that negatively affects bone and joint structure and leads to broad, short fingers. He walks with the aid of crutches and often gets around with a motorized scooter.
Matt’s parents, Ron and Peggy Roloff, reside only a few miles from the farm. They are average height, along with his sister Ruth, who lives in California. Matt has one little person brother, Sam. He also has a brother, Josh, who passed away from heart problems.
Amy Roloff
44-years-old (b. September 17, 1963)
Working mom Amy Roloff is in charge of the household. She manages the homework, social lives and extracurricular activities of four children, while also working as a preschool teacher. Amy’s no-nonsense approach to life helps her handle a busy schedule and a family of four, along with a husband who’s a constant dreamer.
Amy’s dwarfism is the result of the most frequently diagnosed cause of short stature, achondroplasia (one per 26,000 to 40,000 births), a genetic condition that results in disproportionately short arms and legs.
Amy is also an active member of Little People of America.
Amy is 44-years-old. Her parents are both average height and she has no little person siblings. She does, however, have two average-height sisters and an average-height brother.
Zach and Jeremy
17-year-old twin brothers (b. May 10, 1990)
They may be fraternal twins, but Zach and Jeremy Roloff are in stark contrast to each other. Jeremy is average height and Zach is a little person, just under 4' tall.
A dedicated student, Zach does very well in school, bringing home a steady stream of As and Bs. He is also very athletic and has played soccer for most of his 17 years. He even coached his own soccer team, "The Grasshogs."
Jeremy takes after his father, and is most likely to get excited about Matt’s projects and schemes.
Zach is his mother’s son and doesn’t hesitate to criticize his father. Zach’s short stature is the result of achondroplasia, which has caused serious complications to his health. Years ago, a shunt was implanted into his skull to drain excess fluid from his brain. In April 2005, a piece of the shunt broke off and Zach underwent emergency surgery to repair it. He underwent a similar surgery in January 2006. He also recently had surgery to correct the bowing of one of his legs.
Both boys just recently got their driver's licenses and are moving a little bit farther out of the nest.
Molly
14-years-old (b. September 17, 1993)
Surrounded by three brothers, Molly Roloff holds her own. She’s a skilled volleyball player and the best student in the house, with a 4.0 GPA. While she does get swept up in her dad’s and brothers’ crazy antics, Molly also withdraws from the Roloff men, sneaking away to read a book or "do girl stuff" with her friends or mother. Molly shares a birthday with Amy.
Jacob
10-years-old (b. January 21, 1997)
Jacob is the youngest of the Roloff family. Like his older brothers, Jacob is skilled on the soccer field. He may end up proving to be the most skilled.
